ELIZA & The Bear are back with a revitalised sound, a fresh new single Real Friends and a second full-length album to be released later this year.

After being tipped for success back in 2013, it’s taken a while for the London outfit to find their feet.

After a sold-out UK arena tour with Paramore, main stage appearances at the Reading and Leeds Festivals, Boardmasters, V Festival and Zane Lowe making It Gets Cold his “hottest record in the world” on radio, the band’s eponymous debut album reached the UK Top 40 in 2016.

However, the band’s sound moved and they found themselves at a creative crossroads.

“We decided to take the bull by the horns and use a period of uncertainty to our absolute advantage,” says vocalist and guitarist James Kellegher. Helped by song placements on national adverts for Bulmers and Burberry, the band are back on a new label (Be-Known Music) and ready to start again. Eliza & the Bear’s re-emergence includes a show at the Boileroom in Guildford on Sunday 26 August.

By the way, there is no Eliza – they named themselves after a poetry collection.